How Can Your Brand Leverage Interactive TV in 2012?

By
Ivy Chang
– February 10, 2012Posted in: Featured, Tech, Video

How Can Your Brand Leverage Interactive TV in 2012?

remote

A few weeks ago, we talked about the future of TV based on what we saw at CES.  People will be able to interact more with what they are watching on their television screen via companion apps.

Interactive TV is still in its early phases; however, we are gradually beginning to see major broadcasting companies incorporating interactive features into their networks.  Internet TV and interactive online videos are a big trend, and as more devices are connected to the Internet, we will begin to see more interactive features within the television sets.

Why Should Marketers Care?

Interactive TV is often described as a “lean back” interaction as consumers are typically relaxing on the couch while navigating through the channels with their remote.  While it seems to be just another way for consumers to get on the web to access more content, interactive features can offer exclusive information and commerce solutions immediately.

There are approximately 17 million United States households that own a connected TV.  With the number of people using these devices growing every day, interactive TV’s will enable users to further engage with the content they watch and give them more control over the entertainment that is being delivered to them.

For instance, popular cable network FX has created a television commerce companion app for their show Sons of Anarchy that allows fans to purchase merchandise worn by cast members.  The app uses an automatic content recognition technology that syncs with the program and shows the users the products that are available for sale in different scenes.

An interactive brand channel can easily provide commerce solutions to buy products relating back to a particular show without the user having to navigate away from the television.  Channels that are conducive to impulse buying with immediate commerce solutions will drive consumers on a path to purchase and increase the likelihood of a person making a transaction.

What’s the Bigger Picture?

Interactive advertising within television platforms will continue to grow; however, advertisers are still slow to participate in this emerging trend. Brands beginning to work with interactive TV now will allow them to learn to optimize within the platform, putting brands ahead of the pack when this medium hits a critical mass.

Many of the people using interactive TVs are looking to receive personalized information and brands should tap into user behavior to track products that are relevant to the individual consumer.  Offering samples and coupons to cable subscribers can be an easy way to incite product trial as it does not require filling out forms, and networks can simply send products based on the address under the cable subscription.

For example, Comcast partnered with Infusium to offer coupons and free samples of Infusium products.  A pop-up notification came up during a commercial that prompted users to click a button on their remote to receive the sample.

The interactive TV space is still new and many companies are in heated competition with each other to drive innovation in this platform.

What Will The Space Look Like in the Future?

The number of U.S. households that will own a connected TV is expected to reach about 34 million by 2015.  Many of the interactive features will focus on being able to access additional information about the program within the television.

Platforms such as GoogleTV and Apple TV will make content discovery available through apps; these apps will make searching for information easier and streamline Web video consumption, replacing the traditional mouse and keyboard with a remote or mobile device.

We will see companies such as AdRise, Bluefin Labs, and Flingo playing a larger role in providing marketers robust analytics for the programs consumers are watching.  At the same time, they will provide ways to present information relevant to specific individuals by linking TVs over Wi-Fi to drive content from one to the other.

Ivy Chang, 02.09.12

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  • Anonymous

    The future of TV sure does look different than what it is now, but I see no reason to believe that the gold old TV set will go away. In fact, one of my supervisors at DISH the other day read a study that says around 85% of all the households in America still have a pay TV provider. That just makes more sense to me, but I do love how DISH is recognizing how popular it is to watch TV online. They have some great options for this, my favorite being the DISH Remote Access app, this allows me to watch shows while I’m away from home. It works great for sporting events or if I want to catch up on the local news while waiting on the train.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks for your thoughts!
    I agree that the traditional TV set will be around; I think more TV networks will just add interactive features to their current channels, or perhaps adding internet connectivity to their network so people can access other content while watching shows.

    Do you run into problems with internet connection when using the DISH Remote Access app on-the-go?

  • Anonymous

    I completely agree that interactive features will soon be available on most TVs; it’s hard to walk in a TV store without seeing a TV that connects online. To answer your question, it’s very rare that I run into connection issues while watching TV, but that doesn’t mean that it never happens. If I’m on a moving train while watching a show, sometime it gives me some hassle, but for the most part it’s fine. When I’m stationary, I rarely run into any net connection issues, especially on WiFi.

  • Anonymous

    It’s definitely the new age for the TV.

    Despite the network issues I run into (possibly more of a hardware problem), I was hoping TV apps would still pull through when I need them to. So it’s great to hear you don’t run into too many connectivity issues!

  • Anonymous

    Same here, but usually when I lose signal it has nothing to do with my DISH equipment. For the most part I figure that if I was watching a YouTube video on my iPad while on the train or something, it’d probably go out or be choppy just as much, but again this is a rare occurrence.

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    That’s good to hear! Maybe I should be less skeptical and just try it out for myself!

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